Want to make a fair, well-informed prediction for which of the state's field hockey programs will reach the state semifinals?
Kent Denver (Englewood) head coach Kathy James had a suggestion that would perhaps be short on scientific theory yet every bit as accurate as hours of number-crunching.
James suggested writing down the names of the top six or so teams and then throwing them in a hat. Whichever four teams are drawn would have as much of a chance of comprising the 2012 final four as the four teams that might be drawn if the ritual was repeated.
James' idea gained even more credence Wednesday, when her second-seeded Sun Devils were upset 1-0 by
St. Mary's Academy (Englewood) in the tournament's opening round.
Junior
Tilly Hallett scored the lone goal for the seventh-seeded Wildcats, who will look to continue their upstart run in a semifinal showdown against either third-seeded
Palmer Ridge (Monument) or sixth-seeded
Denver East on Oct. 24.
St. Mary's Academy not only ensured that Colorado will crown a new state champion in 2012, but the Wildcats also eliminated the program that has won nine state titles since the inception of the sport in 1997.
"To be honest, at the beginning of the season I joked with another coach that I honestly there were six teams that it wouldn't surprise me if any of them ended up in the final," James said prior to her team's surprising ouster. "If it was Palmer Ridge-Cherry Creek I wouldn't be surprised. If it was (Denver) East and Colorado Academy, I wouldn't be surprised. It really could be any of those teams."
Palmer Ridge and Denver East will square off Thursday night for the right to face St. Mary's Academy in the semifinals. Top-seeded
Colorado Academy (Denver), which reached the title game last year, has not missed a beat under first-year head coach Daan Polders.
The Mustangs earned the No. 1 seed after turning in an unbeaten 13-0-2 regular season and continued the momentum in their tournament opener, posting a 3-0 victory against eighth-seeded Regis Jesuit (Aurora) in the first round.
Colorado Academy will face the winner of Saturday's first-round match between fourth-seeded
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) and fifth-seeded
Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) in the semifinals.
Palmer Ridge has managed to maintain its stature as one of the state's top program despite infusing a number of relatively untested players into the lineup this season. Junior
Jessica Berg has emerged as a dominant scorer, leading the state with 20 goals, while the Bears also have received solid contributions from senior
Casey Deeds (11 goals, 19 assists) and junior
Daelynn Demello (6 goals, 11 assists).
"Jessica Beg has really stepped up and they've all developed quicker than we thought," Palmer Ridge coach Paul Lewis said. "(Berg) has a natural ability to get the ball in the goal. That's something you can't always teach. She has a lot of natural ability, and she and Daelynn Demello really combine well and have worked well together for us up top."
MaxPreps Colorado state field hockey brackets
